Check vs. Control

(chess) A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.

An inspection or examination.

Example: ‘I don't know if she will be there, but it's worth a check.’;

A control; a limit or stop.

Example: ‘checks and balances’; ‘The castle moat should hold the enemy in check.’;

(US) A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator, equivalent to a tick (UK).

Example: ‘Place a check by the things you have done.’;

(US) An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity; a cheque (UK, Canada).

Example: ‘I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a check for the amount.’;

(US) A bill, particularly in a restaurant.

Example: ‘I summoned the waiter, paid the check, and hurried to leave.’;

A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play.

Example: ‘The hockey player gave a good hard check to obtain the puck.’;

A token used instead of cash in gaming machines.

A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood.

A mark, certificate, or token, by which, errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified.

Example: ‘a check given for baggage; a return check on a railroad’;

(falconry) The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds.

A small chink or crack.

A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern.

Example: ‘The tablecloth had red and white checks.’;

To inspect; to examine.

Example: ‘Check the oil in your car once a month.’; ‘Check whether this page has a watermark.’;

To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit).

To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory); to check off, tick (UK), tick off (UK), cross off, strike off.

Example: ‘Check the items on the list that interest you.’; ‘Check off the items that you've checked (inspected).’; ‘Check the correct answer to each question.’;

To control, limit, or halt.

Example: ‘Check your enthusiasm during a negotiation.’;

To verify or compare with a source of information.

Example: ‘Check your data against known values.’;

To leave in safekeeping.

Example: ‘Check your hat and coat at the door.’;

To leave with a shipping agent for shipping.

Example: ‘Check your bags at the ticket counter before the flight.’;

To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play.

Example: ‘He checked the ball and then proceeded to perform a perfect layup.’; ‘That basket doesn't count—you forgot to check!’;

To hit another player with one's body.

Example: ‘The hockey player checked the defenceman to obtain the puck.’;

(poker) To remain in a hand without betting. Only legal if no one has yet bet.

Example: ‘Tom didn't think he could win, so he checked.’;

(chess) To make a move which puts an adversary's piece, especially the king, in check; to put in check.

To chide, rebuke, or reprove.

(nautical) To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended.

To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc.

To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack.

Example: ‘The sun checks timber.’;

To make a stop; to pause; with at.

(obsolete) To clash or interfere.

To act as a curb or restraint.

(falconry) To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds.

A word of warning denoting that the king is in danger; such a menace of a player's king by an adversary's move as would, if it were any other piece, expose it to immediate capture. A king so menaced is said to be in check, and must be made safe at the next move.

A condition of interrupted or impeded progress; arrest; stop; delay; as, to hold an enemy in check.

Example: ‘Which gave a remarkable check to the first progress of Christianity.’; ‘No check, no stay, this streamlet fears.’;

Whatever arrests progress, or limits action; an obstacle, guard, restraint, or rebuff.

Example: ‘Useful check upon the administration of government.’; ‘A man whom no check could abash.’;

A mark, certificate, or token, by which, errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified; as, checks placed against items in an account; a check given for baggage; a return check on a railroad.

A written order directing a bank or banker to pay money as therein stated. See Bank check, below.

A woven or painted design in squares resembling the patten of a checkerboard; one of the squares of such a design; also, cloth having such a figure.

The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds.

Small chick or crack.

To make a move which puts an adversary's piece, esp. his king, in check; to put in check.

To put a sudden restraint upon; to stop temporarily; to hinder; to repress; to curb.

Example: ‘So many clogs to check and retard the headlong course of violence and oppression.’;

To verify, to guard, to make secure, by means of a mark, token, or other check; to distinguish by a check; to put a mark against (an item) after comparing with an original or a counterpart in order to secure accuracy.

To chide, rebuke, or reprove.

Example: ‘The good king, his master, will check him for it.’;

To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended.

To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack; as, the sun checks timber.

To leave (something) in the temporary custody of another; as, to check baggage; to check one's firearms at the door; to check one's coat at the cloakroom.

To accept (something) for temporary custody from another; as, to check a customer's baggage; to check a customer's coat.

To make a checkered pattern upon.

To make a stop; to pause; - with at.

Example: ‘The mind, once jaded by an attempt above its power, either is disabled for the future, or else checks at any vigorous undertaking ever after.’;

To clash or interfere.

To act as a curb or restraint.

Example: ‘It [his presence] checks too strong upon me.’;

To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc.

To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds.

Example: ‘And like the haggard, check at every featherThat comes before his eye.’;

Checkered; designed in checks.

a written order directing a bank to pay money;

Example: ‘he paid all his bills by check’;

an appraisal of the state of affairs;

Example: ‘they made an assay of the contents’; ‘a check on its dependability under stress’;

the bill in a restaurant;

Example: ‘he asked the waiter for the check’;

the state of inactivity following an interruption;

Example: ‘the negotiations were in arrest’; ‘held them in check’; ‘during the halt he got some lunch’; ‘the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow’; ‘he spent the entire stop in his seat’;

additional proof that something that was believed (some fact or hypothesis or theory) is correct;

Example: ‘fossils provided further confirmation of the evolutionary theory’;

the act of inspecting or verifying;

Example: ‘they made a check of their equipment’; ‘the pilot ran through the check-out procedure’;

a mark indicating that something has been noted or completed etc.;

Example: ‘as he called the role he put a check mark by each student's name’;

something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

a mark left after a small piece has been chopped or broken off of something

a textile pattern of squares or crossed lines (resembling a checkerboard);

Example: ‘she wore a skirt with checks’;

the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess;

Example: ‘his common sense is a bridle to his quick temper’;

obstructing an opponent in ice hockey

(chess) a direct attack on an opponent's king

examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition;

Example: ‘check the brakes’; ‘Check out the engine’;

make an examination or investigation;

Example: ‘check into the rumor’; ‘check the time of the class’;

be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;

Example: ‘He verified that the valves were closed’; ‘See that the curtains are closed’; ‘control the quality of the product’;

lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;

Example: ‘moderate your alcohol intake’; ‘hold your tongue’; ‘hold your temper’; ‘control your anger’;

stop for a moment, as if out of uncertainty or caution;

Example: ‘She checked for an instant and missed a step’;

put a check mark on or next to;

Example: ‘Please check each name on the list’; ‘tick off the items’;

slow the growth or development of;

Example: ‘The brain damage will retard the child's language development’;

be verified or confirmed; pass inspection;

Example: ‘These stories don't check!’;

be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics;

Example: ‘The two stories don't agree in many details’; ‘The handwriting checks with the signature on the check’; ‘The suspect's fingerprints don't match those on the gun’;

block or impede (a player from the opposing team) in ice hockey

train by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control;

Example: ‘Parents must discipline their children’; ‘Is this dog trained?’;

consign for shipment on a vehicle;

Example: ‘check your luggage before boarding’;

hand over something to somebody as for temporary safekeeping;

Example: ‘Check your coat at the door’;

abandon the intended prey, turn, and pursue an inferior prey, of falcons

stop in a chase especially when scent is lost;

Example: ‘The dog checked’;

mark into squares or draw squares on; draw crossed lines on

decline to initiate betting

hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of;

Example: ‘Arrest the downward trend’; ‘Check the growth of communism in Sout East Asia’; ‘Contain the rebel movement’; ‘Turn back the tide of communism’;

place into check;

Example: ‘He checked my kings’;

write out a check on a bank account

find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort;

Example: ‘I want to see whether she speaks French’; ‘See whether it works’; ‘find out if he speaks Russian’; ‘Check whether the train leaves on time’;

verify by consulting a source or authority;

Example: ‘check the spelling of this word’; ‘check your facts’;

arrest the motion (of something) abruptly;

Example: ‘He checked the flow of water by shutting off the main valve’;

make cracks or chinks in;

Example: ‘The heat checked the paint’;

become fractured; break or crack on the surface only;

Example: ‘The glass cracked when it was heated’;

examine (something) in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something

Example: ‘customs officers have the right to check all luggage’; ‘a simple blood test to check for anaemia’;

verify or establish to one's satisfaction

Example: ‘she glanced over her shoulder to check that the door was shut’; ‘phone us to check the availability of your chosen holiday’;

verify the accuracy of something by comparing it with (something else)

Example: ‘keep your receipt to check against your statement’;

agree or correspond when compared.

look at; take notice of

Example: ‘check the remix’;

stop or slow the progress of (something, typically something undesirable)

Example: ‘efforts were made to check the disease’;

curb or control (one's feelings or reaction)

Example: ‘he learned to check his excitement’;

hamper or neutralize (an opponent) with one's body or stick.

provide a means of preventing

Example: ‘processes to check against deterioration in the quality of the data held’;

(of a passenger) consign (baggage) to the care of the transport provider with whom they are travelling

Example: ‘I checked my bag and got my boarding pass’;

deposit (a coat, bag, or other item) for temporary safekeeping in the cloakroom of a restaurant, theatre, etc.

Example: ‘the drinks weren't expensive and there's no cover charge but you do have to check your coat for $3.00’;

mark or click on (a box) in order to select a particular option on a form, questionnaire, etc.

Example: ‘users who want privacy should check the box that prevents your files from being shared’;

move a piece or pawn to a square where it attacks (the opposing king)

Example: ‘he moves his knight to check my king again’;

(in poker) choose not to make a bet when called upon, allowing another player to do so instead.

(of a hound) pause to make sure of or regain a scent.

(of a trained hawk) abandon the intended quarry and fly after other prey.

an examination to test or ascertain accuracy, quality, or satisfactory condition

Example: ‘a campaign calling for regular checks on gas appliances’; ‘a health check’;

a stopping or slowing of progress

Example: ‘there was no check to the expansion of the market’;

a means of control or restraint

Example: ‘a permanent check upon the growth or abuse of central authority’;

an act of hampering or neutralizing an opponent with one's body or stick.

a temporary loss of the scent in hunting.

the movement made by a hawk when it abandons its intended quarry and pursues other prey.

a move by which a piece or pawn directly attacks the opponent's king and by which the king may be checkmated.

US spelling of cheque

the bill in a restaurant

Example: ‘let's get the check’;

a token of identification for left luggage.

a counter used as a stake in a gambling game.

another term for tick (sense 1 of the noun)

a part of a piano which catches the hammer and prevents it retouching the strings.

a crack or flaw in timber.

a pattern of small squares

Example: ‘a fine black-and-white check’;

a garment or fabric with a pattern of small squares

Example: ‘on Wednesdays he wore the small check’;

expressing assent or agreement.

used by a chess player to announce that the opponent's king has been placed in check.

having a checked pattern

Example: ‘a blue check T-shirt’;

(transitive) To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.

Example: ‘With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.’;

(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.

Influence or authority over something.

Example: ‘The government has complete control over the situation.’;

A separate group or subject in an experiment against which the results are compared where the primary variable is low or non-existent.

The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.

Restraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.

A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.

(project management) A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.

A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.

(graphical user interface) An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box.

(climatology) Any of the physical factors determining the climate of a place, such as latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.

(linguistics) A construction in which the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by an expression in context. See control.

A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register; a counter register.

That which serves to check, restrain, or hinder; restraint.

Power or authority to check or restrain; restraining or regulating influence; superintendence; government; as, children should be under parental control.

Example: ‘The House of Commons should exercise a control over all the departments of the executive administration.’;

The complete apparatus used to control a mechanism or machine in operation, as a flying machine in flight;

Any of the physical factors determining the climate of any particular place, as latitude,distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.

in research, an object or subject used in an experimental procedure, which is treated identically to the primary subject of the experiment, except for the omission of the specific treatment or conditions whose effect is being investigated. If the control is a group of living organisms, as is common in medical research, it is called the control group.

the part of an experimental procedure in which the controls{6} are subjected to the experimental conditions.

the group of technical specialists exercising control by remote communications over a distant operation, such as a space flight; as, the American Mission Control for manned flights is located in Houston.

To check by a counter register or duplicate account; to prove by counter statements; to confute.

Example: ‘This report was controlled to be false.’;

To exercise restraining or governing influence over; to check; to counteract; to restrain; to regulate; to govern; to overpower.

Example: ‘Give me a staff of honor for mine age,But not a scepter to control the world.’; ‘I feel my virtue struggling in my soul:But stronger passion does its power control.’;

to assure the validity of an experimental procedure by using a control{7}.

power to direct or determine;

Example: ‘under control’;

a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another;

Example: ‘measures for the control of disease’; ‘they instituted controls over drinking on campus’;

(physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc;

Example: ‘the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired’; ‘he had lost control of his sphincters’;

a standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment;

Example: ‘the control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw’;

the activity of managing or exerting control over something;

Example: ‘the control of the mob by the police was admirable’;

the state that exists when one person or group has power over another;

Example: ‘her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her’;

discipline in personal and social activities;

Example: ‘he was a model of polite restraint’; ‘she never lost control of herself’;

great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity;

Example: ‘a good command of French’;

the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.;

Example: ‘they wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls’;

a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine;

Example: ‘the speed control on his turntable was not working properly’; ‘I turned the controls over to her’;

a spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance

exercise authoritative control or power over;

Example: ‘control the budget’; ‘Command the military forces’;

lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;

Example: ‘moderate your alcohol intake’; ‘hold your tongue’; ‘hold your temper’; ‘control your anger’;

handle and cause to function;

Example: ‘do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol’; ‘control the lever’;

control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage;

Example: ‘She manipulates her boss’; ‘She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up’; ‘The teacher knew how to keep the class in line’; ‘she keeps in line’;

verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments;

Example: ‘Are you controlling for the temperature?’;

verify by using a duplicate register for comparison;

Example: ‘control an account’;

be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;

Example: ‘He verified that the valves were closed’; ‘See that the curtains are closed’; ‘control the quality of the product’;

have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of;

Example: ‘Do you control these data?’;

the power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events

Example: ‘the whole operation is under the control of a production manager’; ‘the situation was slipping out of her control’;

the ability to manage a machine, vehicle, or other moving object

Example: ‘he lost control of his car’; ‘improve your ball control’;

the restriction of an activity, tendency, or phenomenon

Example: ‘crime control’;

the ability to restrain one's own emotions or actions

Example: ‘she was goaded beyond control’;

a means of limiting or regulating something

Example: ‘growing controls on local spending’;

a switch or other device by which a device or vehicle is regulated

Example: ‘he had the chance to take the controls and fly the glider’; ‘the volume control’;

the place from which a system or activity is directed or where a particular item is verified

Example: ‘passport control’;

short for control key

Example: ‘note that Control plus various keys on the numeric keypad will move you around the text’;

a person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment

Example: ‘platelet activity was higher in patients with the disease than in the controls’;

a member of an intelligence organization who personally directs the activities of a spy

Example: ‘he sat with his KGB control as the details of his new assignment were explained’;

a high card that will prevent the opponents from establishing a particular suit

Example: ‘he has controls in both minor suits’;

determine the behaviour or supervise the running of

Example: ‘he was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy’;

maintain influence or authority over

Example: ‘there were never enough masters to control the unruly mobs of boys’;

limit the level, intensity, or numbers of

Example: ‘he had to control his temper’;

remain calm and reasonable despite provocation

Example: ‘her eyes flashed angrily, but she made an effort to control herself’;

regulate (a mechanical or scientific process)

Example: ‘the airflow is controlled by a fan’;

take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect the results of an experiment)

Example: ‘no attempt was made to control for variations’;